Abbas calls on Hamas to hand over weapons and deploy an international and Arab force

Paris.- The President of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), Mahmoud Abbas, wants Hamas to hand over its weapons and for an Arab and international force to be deployed in Gaza with a United Nations mandate to ensure a permanent ceasefire.

In a letter to the co-chairs of next week's New York conference on the Middle East, the French president and the Saudi Crown Prince, Abbas also condemns the Hamas attacks of October 2023 as "unacceptable and condemnable".

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Therefore, the president of the PA states that "Hamas must immediately release all hostages and captives," the letter indicates, some of whose fragments were released this Tuesday by the Élysée.

"The State of Palestine is willing to assume sole responsibility for governance and security in the Gaza Strip with Arab and international support," it states.

"Hamas must stop controlling Gaza and must hand over its weapons and military capabilities to the Palestinian Security Forces, who will oversee its withdrawal outside the occupied Palestinian territories," it adds. It also states that Palestine "is ready to invite Arab and international forces to deploy within a stabilization/protection mission with a mandate from the UN Security Council."

His mission would consist of "Supporting our security forces, providing protection to the Palestinian people, ensuring that everyone respects a permanent ceasefire and guaranteeing the security of all parties," explains Abbas.

The PA president emphasizes that they are "ready to conclude, a clear and binding timeframe, and with international support, supervision, and guarantees, a peace agreement that ends the Israeli occupation and resolves all outstanding issues and the final status." The objective is to "achieve a just and lasting peace, based on the relevant resolutions of the United Nations, the Madrid terms of reference, including the agreement on territories for peace, and the Arab Peace Initiative." Abbas assures that the Palestinian State "must be the sole provider of security in its territory, but has no intention of being a militarized State", therefore "is willing to work on security agreements beneficial to all parties in full respect of its sovereignty".

The international conference to promote the two-state solution is scheduled between the 17th and 20th of this month in New York, with the aim of promoting the cross-recognition of Palestine and Israel in the Middle East along with other commitments that allow progress towards peace in the region.